UArctic at EUPRIO 2011

Scott Forrest, Information Manager at the UArctic International Secretariat has been attending the 2011 European Universities Public Relations and Information Officers association (EUPRIO) at the Czech Technical University in Prague. EUPRIO is an excellent resource for university communications staff to learn new developments and techniques by networking with their European peers.

UArctic members, both new and old, were well represented at EUPRIO 2011, with many engaging discussion with the representatives from the University of Helsinki, University of Oulu, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Stockholm University, the University of Bergen, Aalborg University, and Aarhus University.

The information presented in the conference's workshops and master classes provided plenty of potential ideas to improve UArctic's internal and external communications, including improvements to the UArctic Catalogue, Survey, and News. A keynote lecture from Frans Van Vught, President of European Center for Strategic Management of Universities (ESMU) highlighted the U-Map and U-Multirank transparency tools, which can be directly applied to UArctic's Member Profile pages.

The discussions with the network communications staff from UArctic institutions is currently strengthening, following the communications workshop organized in conjunction with the Council meeting in Rovaniemi in June 2011. A second workshop is being planned for Arctic Frontiers in Tromso, Norway in January 2012. If you are a communications or public relations officer from a UArctic member, contact Scott Forrest or watch UArctic News for more information soon.

The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is a cooperative network of universities, colleges, research institutes and other organizations concerned with education and research in and about the North. UArctic builds and strengthens collective resources and collaborative infrastructure that enables member institutions to better serve their constituents and their regions. Through cooperation in education, research and outreach we enhance human capacity in the North, promote viable communities and sustainable economies, and forge global partnerships.